Dreams Never Die
by Destiny999421
Summary: What might have happened had Tidus not shown up until a year after FFX-2? Please read, review, and enjoy it.


Here's the first chapter of a new story I decided to write. It's about what might have happened if Tidus had not shown up immediately after FFX-2 but about a year later. Enjoy it and PLEASE REVIEW!!!!

* * *

_There's just to much that time cannot erase  
_  
He awoke in a daze, his eyes focusing slowly to the world around him. 'Before, I was...Oh Yevon, what the hell happened to me?' He asked himself; desperately trying to remember what had transpired before this seemingly endless slumber he had just now awoken from. It felt like he had slept for an eternity, frozen in time yet never had he felt its destructive, cruel grasp around him.  
  
'Sin...' His mind wandered back to that last moment after the defeat of his father, the embrace that he could have held for all time yet he had been destined to break. Most importantly, his thoughts turned back to her, the summoner he had met in the minute village of Besaid, the woman his heart had been turned to. 'Yuna...'  
  
He uncurled from the position he was in and stretched, his bones creaking like they had been immobile for an age. The water that had cradled him all this time glimmered darkly around him, illuminated only from the hypnotic aura of the sacred pyreflies and a few thin rays of golden sun from the world above him. A smile rose to his lips, a smile of peace that was accompanied by the knowledge that his life awaited him up there with the beautiful morning sun.  
  
He began pushing upwards toward the surface of the water that surrounded him, all the while coming closer and closer to the welcoming sunlight. Finally he broke the surface, a clear blue sky smiling back from above him. Taking a long gaze around him, he immediately recognized the area around him as the capital of blitzball on the planet of Spira, the harbor city Luca.  
  
'Heh, this place hasn't changed at all.' He thought, looking to the distance to see a plethora of boats crowded along the docks, people constantly boarding them as well as getting off. He swam quickly to the edge of one of the docking platforms, staying underwater the entire time to avoid being seen by anyone. After all, he wanted to come to grips with what had happened before he had to make someone else do it as well.  
  
He pulled himself up onto the platform, hidden behind a massive stack of crates dropped off by one of the freighter boats. A quick glance back at the water he had emerged from revealed a seemingly foreign face, his hair had grown down past his shoulders and he had grown a small goatee around his mouth. However, he was still dressed in his old blitzer uniform from when he was the star player of the Zanarkand Abes. 'Well that takes care of the problem of anyone recognizing me.'  
  
There were people everywhere along the walkways, all seeming to be psyched up about some important event that was soon going to take place. He kissed the necklace that hung around his neck, the symbol of his home blitz team hanging loosely from it, and then tucked it under his shirt as he began to make his way to the front of the blitz stadium.  
  
"Welcome! Could I interest you in a ticket to Lady Yuna's concert tonight?" Asked one of the receptionists as he stepped up to the counter in front of the stadium. His eyes widened immediately at the sound of her name, the woman he had fallen in love with yet who he had lost because of his own falsehood. Dreams were not allowed lives, after all.  
  
"Yuna's having a concert?" He asked quizzically. Apparently his ignorance showed because the woman who was trying to sell him the tickets sighed immediately then pulled a rolled up poster out of her back pocket.  
  
"Damn backwater island tourists." She mumbled barely audibly. She unrolled the poster and held it up for him to see. "Lady Yuna, the girl who defeated Sin and also the most popular songstress in Spira, is performing live here in the stadium tonight. Tickets cost five thousand gil each and if you buy direct from us here at the box office, you will receive a twenty- five percent discount."  
  
'Man, what's wrong with her?' "Uh...what's a songstress?"  
  
"Come on! You mean to tell me you don't know what a songstress is?! Are you really that stupid?!" The girl shouted before noticing the puzzled look on his face. "A songstress is a singer. Some songstresses joined together and now are bands but that's really not important because YRP, the group Lady Yuna performs in, is the best by far of any group on Spira."  
  
"Oh, uh thanks." He replied. "So you said that they cost five thousand, right?"  
  
She sighed exasperatedly again. "Yes. How many do you want?"  
  
"One will do." He answered. She handed him the ticket. "Thank you."  
  
"Enjoy the show, sir."  
  
'Yuna sings?' He thought silently as he walked towards the Luca Café. 'And who in Yevon's name is YRP?' All these new pieces of information were wearing at his mind, working themselves into the contours of his brain and continuously puzzling him. 'I gotta stop thinking about this for a while. Might as well have a drink and relax until this concert thingy.' He sat down at the bar in the middle of the café and ordered a round.  
  
"Hey mister, could you spare me about three hundred gil?" Asked a random drunkard as he staggered over to the old blitzer.  
  
"Sure thing. If you can tell me how long it's been since Sin was defeated." He replied, hoping that this man was not as wasted as he appeared to be. Information was really useful right now and if he knew what year it was, then he could figure out how long it had been since he had left.  
  
"Eh...It was three...eh...three years ago?" Said the man as he stumbled onto the barstool beside him. "Can I...eh...borrow some gil now, pal?"  
  
"Fine." The blitzer answered, handing him a thick wad of gil before he stood up and left the Café again. 'Three years? I wonder if they've forgotten me already or if they still know me.' He thought as he put his hands behind his head, stretching out a little bit. "Why should I even worry about this? I mean, if Yuna has found someone else then that's her business..." He said aloud despite the worry that tortured his soul.  
  
He checked the clock in the middle of the city square, realizing that Yuna's concert began in a little under a half an hour. 'Well let's go see if she's changed.'  
  
Walking back to the stadium, he quickly went over everything he had found out in the last few hours in his mind. "Man, if the crowd gets any worse I might have to use the Caladbolg to get through to the concert." He mumbled under his breath as he tried to make his way through the sea of people that surrounded the entrance to the actual stadium. As he made his way to the top of the stairs, he noticed that a massive marble statue had replaced the plant that had been sitting out in the middle of the pathway.  
  
A smile rose to his face as he looked at who it was modeled after: Yuna, Auron, Jecht, and himself. It seemed to have been made to pay homage to the saviors of Spira so it was only natural that Jecht would have been included because he was the one who sacrificed himself for the good of Spira. 'Well I must say I like their taste in art.' He smiled peacefully as he ascended the steps into the blitz stadium, darkness awaiting him inside.  
  
The roar from the crowd was deafening; an earsplitting wave of cheers from the fans that patiently awaited Lady Yuna's arrival. 'Three years...'  
  
About ten minutes later, the lights began to dim and a platform arose in the area where the blitz sphere normally floated. Suddenly, the spotlights were all turned on in unison, revealing to the expecting crowd the star of the show, a woman of about twenty dressed in a white dress that swayed lightly as she walked.

After the first moment, the lights dimmed down again to a level that was not so incredibly bright and then she turned her gaze up to the crowd. 'I wish you were here to see this... They said they would try to bring you back but you still aren't here...' She thought silently to herself, the sadness that lingered inside of her crying out for the only person she had ever loved.  
  
She brought the small microphone to her mouth, the words she would sing tonight flowing through her tormented soul. Finally, she began to sing. _"I'm so tired of being here... Suppressed by all my childish fears... And if you have to leave... I wish that you would just leave... 'Cause your presence still lingers here..."  
_  
The crowd was silent, her melodic rhetoric playing through their minds and taking root deep in their thoughts. There was not a soul there who could not feel her passionate sadness this night. _"And it won't leave me alone... These wounds won't seem to heal... This pain is just too real... There's just too much that time cannot erase..."_  
  
'Why am I the only one who cannot have peace yet? Was I made to suffer this much, tormented by the faces of my joyous friends who have their happiness?' She cried out silently to whatever all-knowing being might have been listening to this prayer, hoping that for once, just once, she might find an answer to her question. _"When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears... When you screamed I'd fight away all of your fears... And I held your hand through all of these years... But you still have... All of me..."  
_  
A tear slowly fell from her eyes, falling down to the stage underneath her and causing a reaction to happen. 'No, please do not take me here again...' She and the audience watched as the sphere screen brought back one of the many memories that still haunted here after all this time.  
  
The thousands of fans and their performer were all in the Macalania Woods as they had been before the disappearing of the fayth, the moon shining down softly upon her and the audience. There swam the two young lovers; she was weeping softly about the destiny that was now before her and he holding her tightly, an assurance that he would not let her fade into the Farplane. Their lips met for the first time, a passionate kiss bringing them closer and closer together after so much time of keeping just enough distance between them to keep them separated. She had longed so deeply to be in his arms once more, at peace in his gentle embrace, yet she had been denied that even though she had gave peace to the rest of Spira.  
  
The memory continued on, revealing her most treasured memory to a crowd of strangers, the exact people she never wanted to see it. 'I have to focus and stop them from seeing this...' She thought of another memory. This time the sphere screen brought the captivated audience back to what she had thought would have been her last night among the living.  
  
_"You used to captivate me... By your resonating light... But now I'm bound by... The life you left behind... Your face it haunts my once pleasant dreams... Your voice has chased away all the sanity in me..."_ She began singing again, the pyreflies swirling around her as the dead gave their respect to her for all the misery she had had to endure for their sake. _"These wounds won't seem to heal... This pain is just too real... There's just to much that time cannot erase..."  
_  
_"When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears... When you screamed I'd fight away all of your fears... And I held your hand for all of these years... But you still have... All of me..."_ It was almost over and now the tears rolled down her rosy cheeks unabated, the empty void in her heart crying out for him again. In the background, the band that played for her became loud and moving, finishing the effect that had been intended for this concert.  
  
_"I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone... And though you're still with me... I've been alone all along..."_ The song ended then she and the platform descended back into the darkness underneath them, the concert finished. Meanwhile, she continued to sob, the anguish of her loss still to great to be vanquished by her own will.

He just watched the spot where she had just been, the emotions inside of him crying to be with her again. It was not right that he should see her like this and she not get to know he had been here. 'I've got to get down there now!' He rushed into the walkway, all the while the guards watched him continuously to make sure he did not do anything stupid.  
  
He ran down towards the gaping hole that the stage had descended into only to be stopped by an armed security guard. "What are you doing?" Asked the menacing and imposing figure before pulling out a small rifle from his side.  
  
"I've got to see Yuna!" He cried with passion. The guard just looked at him strangely for a moment then burst into a roaring fit of laughter at the absurd ridiculousness of his proposition.  
  
"You and everyone else here, pal. Now get back to your seat or else I'll remove you and then throw you in jail for trying to disrupt the High Summoner." Said the guard as he lifted the rifle and pointed it towards his opponent's chest. 'He looks familiar from somewhere but I cannot place my finger on where exactly...'  
  
'I'm not going to let some concert rent-a-guard stop me from seeing my Yuna.' He thought as he reached behind his head and took hold of the handle of the sword that hung along its sheath on his back. "You have one last chance to get out of my way or else I'll make you get out of my way." He said coldly, pulling the Caladbolg out and into the plain sight of everyone around them. The sword glimmered brightly in the light from the stage lights, reflecting the bright glow back across the massive arena.  
  
"Is th...that a...a threa...threat?" Asked the guard nervously as he looked down at the incredibly long sword in the man's hand. 'This guy's definitely not an amateur. Look at his stance, he must have killed thousands of fiends for years!' The man's muscles tensed in anticipation of a fight, quivering in the excitement of a battle after three years of motionlessness.  
  
"What if it is?" He said with a malevolent smile before rushing at the guard, the Caladbolg held out to his side. In a split second he was upon his opponent, ready to put him into the ground if that was what it took. 'Wait a minute, if I kill this guy then I'm no better than that psycho Seymour was so I guess I'll just put him down hard.' He leapt up so that he was way above his target then, as he descended towards the guard, rammed into him and slammed him into the railing nearby. "Score one for the Aurochs."  
  
He leapt into the hole, diving down through the darkness that kept her from him, letting it surround him and take him wholly to her. He could feel the bottom of this tunnel drawing closer and closer and then an instant later; he landed on the platform that she had been standing on during the concert. 'Okay, if I were Yuna, where would I be going?' He asked himself as he leapt down off of the platform and began walking around through the massive storage room he was in.  
  
"He's down here! Hurry and find that gate-crasher!" Shouted an unknown voice in the distance. He looked to the other end of the gargantuan storage complex to see a group of armed guards run in, all carrying machina weapons like those Bevelle had used back when Seymour had tried to marry Yuna. Their footsteps reverberated off the stone floor, echoing because of the high ceiling above him.  
  
'Ah hell, looks like I might be fighting after all. Might as well go ahead and bust out of here.' "Energy Rain!" He cried as he leapt into the air, his blade glowing brightly in the dimly lit area.  
  
The guards spun around, a look of pure awe upon their faces at what they were seeing; they were completely speechless because he was floating in the air and creating a massive wave of energy aimed at them. He swung his sword at a downward angle, launching hundreds of small, needle-like bits of energy that flung themselves into the ground underneath the guards. A moment later, the area was rocked by the massive explosion caused because of his attack. 'Crap! That attack was way too powerful! They're all rookies with hardly any battle experience so that was way uncalled for!'  
  
He paused for a moment to ask for forgiveness from the dead guards that now lay in front of him before running out of the chamber. The room led to a long corridor with a few paths branching off every so often. 'Now how am I supposed to find her?' He thought for a moment as he began to run in one direction, trying to find any sign of her passing. 'Wait a minute!'  
  
A moment later, a shrill whistle erupted from his lips, echoing back and forth down the hall in both directions, searching for her. 'Please let her hear this...'  
  
"Hello? Is anyone there?" Asked a familiar female voice from one of the side paths, sounds of her footsteps soon following. She was close and coming closer every passing second, drawing near to the origin of where she had heard his whistle.  
  
He gazed at her as she rounded the corner and came face to face with him, a look of suspicion and confusion on her face. "Who are you?" She demanded as she fixated her stare at him, her gaze icy because of how he had just disrespected her lover completely. No one was allowed to whistle to get her attention besides him.  
  
He just continued to gaze at her for a moment before he finally opened his mouth and spoke. "Yuna..." He said her name with a longing desire in his tone, his voice almost as low as a whisper. There was a look in his eyes like that of a soldier who was coming home for the first time in years after going off to war; he was happy beyond measure.  
  
"I asked you who the hell you are." She asked again, still not recognizing the man that stood before her. His mouth turned to a small, weak smile as he took a step toward her.

'Why in Yevon's name is this guy here and why is he acting like he knows me?!' Yuna thought, suddenly scared at how this stranger in front of her was walking towards her. She took a step back, fear visible in her eyes and on her face. 'I've got to get away before he tries anything. As soon as he takes another step, I'll nail him in the face and take off towards Paine and Rikku.'  
  
"Is something wrong with me, Yuna?" He asked her, gesturing at himself with his right hand. He did not understand why she was acting like this to him and apparently his confusion showed because she looked at him in another odd manner, trying to figure out if she was supposed to know who he was.  
  
Another step. 'I'll find out who he is later, now I've got to get out of here.' She thought for a split second before lunging at him with a balled up fist. A look of surprise and shock immediately showed in his eyes as her fist came within an inch of his face before he ducked out of the way.  
  
'Time to run!' She began to turn on her heels, her mind focused only on escaping from the situation she was in right now. However right as she was about to take off in the other direction, he hung his arms down her shoulders, holding her tightly yet caringly. Her eyes widened immediately at the familiarity of his embrace, a feeling she could never forget even if she had wanted to.

Closing his eyes, he held her there for a moment in silence before saying anything. "Yuna... I'm home finally... it's only Tidus..." He whispered gently into her ear, resting his head on her shoulder. Her body tensed instantly at the mention of his name yet despite the doubt she had, something inside her told her that he was who he said he was.  
  
Her eyes began to water and she turned around to face him fully, gazing up into his pale blue eyes as tears began to fall silently down her cheeks. "You're... You're back!" She cried before wrapping her arms around his chest and beginning to sob, her tears a mixture of sadness for having not known it was he and joy because he had returned.  
  
He could only smile down at her as he continued to sob in his arms, happy at last. She looked up at him, a bright glow upon her face that had not been there for so long, a sign that she was finally at peace again. Stroking her cheek with thumb, their faces began to move closer and closer together until their lips met, the barrier that time had put between them broken. Both could feel the desire in that kiss, could feel the passion that had begun to pour from one another's hearts.

They stayed there for a few minutes until the sound of footsteps behind them brought them back from the state of euphoria they had been in. Voices could be heard as well, both female yet completely different in tone. One was high-pitched and extremely worried while the other was rather low and sounded concerned but not the point of hysteria like the first.  
  
"Yunie! Where are you?!" Cried Rikku as she and Paine continued to look for the last member of the Gullwings. They had been running around down here ever since they saw the man in the audience leap down the stage tunnel and into main basement of Luca Stadium.  
  
"Yuna? If you can here me, just come to my voice!" Paine called as she and Rikku rounded a corner, only to be stopped dead in their tracks by what they saw. Yuna was in the gatecrasher's arms! Paine pulled out her sword and took a fighting position. "Get the hell away from her you freak!"  
  
"Yeah!" Rikku said as she grabbed the dual daggers that hung from her belt and gripped them tightly.Tidus turned to look at them, again another look of confusion on his face. 'Doesn't anyone recognize me around here?!' He thought as they began advancing towards him and Yuna, definitely ready to fight.  
  
Luckily, Yuna was already a step ahead of them. "Wait a minute, guys, it's alright." She said with an easy-going tone as she turned to face them. "Paine, I know you don't know who this is. Rikku, you should."  
  
Rikku's jaw dropped immediately yet Paine just had a look of agitation on her face for being left out of the loop. "What's going on here?! Who is that?!" She asked rather angrily.  
  
"Is... Is it really you?" Rikku asked, ignoring the person who was standing next to her. Tidus just smiled his usual smile and nodded. "YOU'RE BACK!" She cried happily as she rushed towards Tidus and her cousin.

After he had been introduced to Paine and Rikku had calmed down a little bit, they left the stadium and headed back to where Buddy had parked the Celsius then boarded it. Again he was met with the same shock and disbelief from its crew and in the case of Brother, resentment; but finally they took off. 'I hope they all remember me.'

* * *

Well there's chapter one for everyone. PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Preview of next chapter: After Tidus' return, some strange events begin stirring in Spira and rumors of possible trouble on the horizon are everywhere. 


End file.
